THE WENGER THREAD

[SydneyGooner]

We came pretty close to winning the league with a bunch of kids back in 2007/08 so I was a pretty firm AKB back then.

I was pretty late to the party due to a misguided a sense of respect for his prior achievements but the one result that made me join the dark side for good was the shit show against Bradford City in the League Cup quarter final in December 2012 when the Klingon missed an open goal.

[Allgunsblazin]

Not that it hugely matters but does anybody really think that Wenger has freely accepted that he’s not the best person for the job any more after his years of arrogance and all this bollocks about seeing contracts out?

No bollocks about leaving to explore new oportunities or any of the other ***** which would make it seem his choice.

Kroenke does not give two shits about Arsenal as a football club but let’s be honest he’s not an idiot. Wenger just about delivered enough to keep the club commercially competitive, was happy to keep the pursestrings tight and deflected flak. For a while now he has been performing as badly as any manager realistically could, burning through money (both transfers and wages) and the stadium has been half empty for months on end.

He’s been forced out / sacked. Forget football, it’s a no-brainer business decision.

The 5pm rushed tv interview was interesting timing, after "The Arrogant Fucker" let the cat out of the bag for his own egotistical swan song....
I never watched the staged what a great he was, but all these reports of players in tears at the news, on please pass me the bucket, more like tears of laughter....
Sorry if I sound disrespectful to this shadow of what he once was, but I feel the fucker held this club to ransom, and has done more damage than good, once all his yes men had been crushed, Josh Kroenke stabbed the fucker in the back, like he had done over his 22 year rule to a lot of good players and personnel.
He became a tyrant in my eyes, and the half empty stadia spoke volumes, well done to those who stayed away , I went once for the AC Milan game.
Now we will have to put up with Der Fuhrers final 30 days in his bunker, getting daily plaudits of how he changed football.
God help us through the charade!....

I have read and heard some shameful and unacceptable things about our players over the years, but this for me tops the lot - grown men crying about a manager leaving the club ? Seriously ?? It tells you everything about the bunch of ball-less pussies we have playing for us now, that a manager leaving is more upsetting than their continued failures on the pitch FFS will ye grow a pair ye bunch of w**kers

It was very funny to see the story in one of the papers about how upset the players were, and a little further down the page it had a photo of wilshere driving away with his big beaming smile

And the disposal of Sanchez was despicable!
Stupid caaant!....

[Allgunsblazin]

MOTD asking Arsenal fans to be patient with the new manager....
Fuck off you twats....

[northbank123]

We came pretty close to winning the league with a bunch of kids back in 2007/08 so I was a pretty firm AKB back then.

I was pretty late to the party due to a misguided a sense of respect for his prior achievements but the one result that made me join the dark side for good was the shit show against Bradford City in the League Cup quarter final in December 2012 when the Klingon missed an open goal.

For me 2008 was a real fork in the road.

Although we collapsed, we gave a quality Chelsea side and a world class united team a real run for their money. Again a combination of bottling it and being cheated knocked us out of CL QFs. All with a young side playing some great football - should have been the beginning of the new dawn.

Instead of keeping hold of everyone and strengthening the few areas that needed to, both DMs leave, no striker comes in and we go backwards. 4-4 against Spurs, 4-4 at Anfield and hammered at home to Chelsea. Flamini goes on a free so he signs up Almunia, Denilson, Bendtner and Eboue up to lucrative long-term deals.

It’s been one long downhill spiral since then.

[Riotof91]

lots of warm fuzzy feely talk of Wenger's 'legacy' here's his legacy;

When he took over Arsenal were 2nd most successful English club, we're now 3rd
When he took over it was 5 years since we won the league, it's now 14
When he took over it was 2 years since we won a cup in Europe, it's now 24

It's all well and good remembering how he changed us from boring boring Arsenal and that, but look what came with it; The death of a traditional English club and it's rebirth into a profits-over-sporting achievement franchise. From the generic plastic badge to the poxy stadium named after an Arab country to the cringey statues to the god awful gentrified fanbase to the leeching American owner to the eradication of the spirit and identity of the club, all over seen by Wenger. Arsenal FC really no longer exists. Only the name is the same but nothing else about the club is. It's difficult for fans like me to even like our club anymore, the epitome of everything wrong with modern football.

[Bradywasking]

lots of warm fuzzy feely talk of Wenger's 'legacy' here's his legacy;

When he took over Arsenal were 2nd most successful English club, we're now 3rd
When he took over it was 5 years since we won the league, it's now 14
When he took over it was 2 years since we won a cup in Europe, it's now 24

It's all well and good remembering how he changed us from boring boring Arsenal and that, but look what came with it; The death of a traditional English club and it's rebirth into a profits-over-sporting achievement franchise. From the generic plastic badge to the poxy stadium named after an Arab country to the cringey statues to the god awful gentrified fanbase to the leeching American owner to the eradication of the spirit and identity of the club, all over seen by Wenger. Arsenal FC really no longer exists. Only the name is the same but nothing else about the club is. It's difficult for fans like me to even like our club anymore, the epitome of everything wrong with modern football.

The connection between the fans and the club has completely changed in Wenger's time. I used to always go to the Clock End to see the players arrive and leave the stadium. Got a few autographs and photographs down the years.That access is no longer there is it? Also in later years when the team arrived by coach there was still a visible access to them , again that is gone. I haven't been over in four years by choice but I don't miss the new match day experience at the glass bowl. Where do kids get to meet the players now ? Are autographs bought online rather than got in person?
Maybe older fans like me do live In the past and we crave the good or certainly better old days,but there is something gone from Arsenal for me that I think can never be returned. I don't feel connected to the club the way I once did.

[Almunia is a clown]

2007 onward was nothing but a totally wasted, lost decade of opportunity, losing our best players to rivals & a total failure to rebuild a title challenging team. The youth policy disintegrating, whilst wasting salaries on second rate / injury prone transfers.

Wenger getting paid £100million & more in wages for 4th place finishes whilst making massive profits for Kroenke, as fans paid the highest admission prices in world football. Brainwashed fans supporting Arsene Stanley PLC instead of The Arsenal. Fans fighting each other whilst the club spins the shite that we can compete with Europe's elite.

Now it's time to go after the Wiggy barstard, that's the only way we can unite as a fanbase.

More than likely we will have AKB's saying that Kroenke brings stability to the club & they are proud the club has more than £200million stashed in the bank. Yes another delusional cúnt said exactly this in the boozer two years ago!

[Swifty]

Surely this thread is now redundant. Time to move on for all of us.

[General]

We came pretty close to winning the league with a bunch of kids back in 2007/08 so I was a pretty firm AKB back then.

I was pretty late to the party due to a misguided a sense of respect for his prior achievements but the one result that made me join the dark side for good was the shit show against Bradford City in the League Cup quarter final in December 2012 when the Klingon missed an open goal.

For me 2008 was a real fork in the road.

Although we collapsed, we gave a quality Chelsea side and a world class united team a real run for their money. Again a combination of bottling it and being cheated knocked us out of CL QFs. All with a young side playing some great football - should have been the beginning of the new dawn.

Instead of keeping hold of everyone and strengthening the few areas that needed to, both DMs leave, no striker comes in and we go backwards. 4-4 against Spurs, 4-4 at Anfield and hammered at home to Chelsea. Flamini goes on a free so he signs up Almunia, Denilson, Bendtner and Eboue up to lucrative long-term deals.

It’s been one long downhill spiral since then.

2007/08 was his last real opportunity to move this club forward but as usual he got his knickers in a twist and badly managed the situation. I agree it was the last time we played real good football and no coincidence it also was the only we've reached 80points in the Emirates era. It was back to square one in 2009 with player contracts mismanaged and some of the core players allowed to leave. If there is one thing the new manager must get right, he has to put the club first and deal with player contracts more professionally.

[StuartL]

We came pretty close to winning the league with a bunch of kids back in 2007/08 so I was a pretty firm AKB back then.

I was pretty late to the party due to a misguided a sense of respect for his prior achievements but the one result that made me join the dark side for good was the shit show against Bradford City in the League Cup quarter final in December 2012 when the Klingon missed an open goal.

For me 2008 was a real fork in the road.

Although we collapsed, we gave a quality Chelsea side and a world class united team a real run for their money. Again a combination of bottling it and being cheated knocked us out of CL QFs. All with a young side playing some great football - should have been the beginning of the new dawn.

Instead of keeping hold of everyone and strengthening the few areas that needed to, both DMs leave, no striker comes in and we go backwards. 4-4 against Spurs, 4-4 at Anfield and hammered at home to Chelsea. Flamini goes on a free so he signs up Almunia, Denilson, Bendtner and Eboue up to lucrative long-term deals.

It’s been one long downhill spiral since then.

2007/08 was his last real opportunity to move this club forward but as usual he got his knickers in a twist and badly managed the situation. I agree it was the last time we played real good football and no coincidence it also was the only we've reached 80points in the Emirates era. It was back to square one in 2009 with player contracts mismanaged and some of the core players allowed to leave. If there is one thing the new manager must get right, he has to put the club first and deal with player contracts more professionally.

I think the player recruitment / contracts has been removed from managers responsibility/ duties, with the team Gazidis has assembled taking over.
Quite rightly, the mangers job should be to mange the first team, to organise coaching, maybe keep an eye on the up and coming youngsters to see when they are ready for first team action not to be involved in contract and wage negotiations.

[General]

Ok, after the euphoria of the announcement yesterday the reality of trepidation has set in....

Now don't get me wrong, the old deluded *word censored* can get to fuck as far as I'm concerned and good riddance! But what fills me with trepidation is the potential for fuck ups to come from those in charge, maybe I'm a too much of a pessimist but with the hierarchy we have at the club the potential for a monumental managerial clusterfuck appointment is astronomical at the moment..... so I urge a note of caution because I personally don't feel this is the beginning of the end merely the end of the beginning to steal a quote

As for the gash *word censored* eulogising and gushing over the 'Great Man' especially those who bring up the invincibles, just a reminder to those deluded wankers it's been 14 fucking years since that team won the league and since then there have been more embarrassing and tragic results that are fresher and more raw to the memory than games in that entire season!

Agreed. This would be no easy salvage operation considering the mess the arrogant French man is going to leave behind but I'm hopeful. Gazidis, often accused on here of lacking a sense of direction and according to some contacts in Europe has managed to overhaul the football operation even before Wenger's departure and has brought in well qualified key personnel. Unsurprisingly people are no longer saying that the top managers we've been linked with are beyond reach because of their misguided trepidation of Gazidis' ability to close out deals. He is far from infallible but he deserves credit considering the circumstances. It's a long hard road ahead and we would most likely have to go through a few managers before stabilising. Hopefully we won't fall below 7th ceteris paribus. Relieved Wenger is gone but the anger is still raw. He walks away with £10m of Arsenal's money but it's ok because he has 'values' clearly with several zeros at the end.

[General]

We came pretty close to winning the league with a bunch of kids back in 2007/08 so I was a pretty firm AKB back then.

I was pretty late to the party due to a misguided a sense of respect for his prior achievements but the one result that made me join the dark side for good was the shit show against Bradford City in the League Cup quarter final in December 2012 when the Klingon missed an open goal.

For me 2008 was a real fork in the road.

Although we collapsed, we gave a quality Chelsea side and a world class united team a real run for their money. Again a combination of bottling it and being cheated knocked us out of CL QFs. All with a young side playing some great football - should have been the beginning of the new dawn.

Instead of keeping hold of everyone and strengthening the few areas that needed to, both DMs leave, no striker comes in and we go backwards. 4-4 against Spurs, 4-4 at Anfield and hammered at home to Chelsea. Flamini goes on a free so he signs up Almunia, Denilson, Bendtner and Eboue up to lucrative long-term deals.

It’s been one long downhill spiral since then.

2007/08 was his last real opportunity to move this club forward but as usual he got his knickers in a twist and badly managed the situation. I agree it was the last time we played real good football and no coincidence it also was the only we've reached 80points in the Emirates era. It was back to square one in 2009 with player contracts mismanaged and some of the core players allowed to leave. If there is one thing the new manager must get right, he has to put the club first and deal with player contracts more professionally.

I think the player recruitment / contracts has been removed from managers responsibility/ duties, with the team Gazidis has assembled taking over.
Quite rightly, the mangers job should be to mange the first team, to organise coaching, maybe keep an eye on the up and coming youngsters to see when they are ready for first team action not to be involved in contract and wage negotiations.

Agreed but inevitably the new manager (coach in new setup) also has to be clear on his squad building plans and which players he wants to keep and leave the rest to the board. Wenger created uncertainty by his completely muddled approach to squad building, one minute he doesn't want to keep a player only to make a u-turn a few months later. Case in point - Wilshere. The end result was an imbalanced squad that has forever looked in transition and an overinflated wage bill.

[Offside]

The players were "close to tears" probably because they know that the gravy train is coming to an end.

I read that Mertesacker "made a rousing speech" in tribute to Wenger. How about making a rousing speech to inspire the team to win a bloody away game?

[Retro Gunner]

2008

2 years after reaching a cl final, 3 after The Invincibles

There's some pwapa hard core supporters on here

Yeah and some proper fucking idiots too. As others have also said, the signs were evident as early as 2005/06, but undeniable by 2008. For all your usual smart arse responses to people on here, fact remains that we were right.

Seeing it early....call it intuition and football sense mate. Maybe you ought to start watching netball (perhaps you do) it might make more sense to you.

How's it feel being a closet akb now he's going ?

Oh dear, closet calling

A homophobe as well as a soothsayer, you're a talented lady

If you're going to bandy words, at least try to make some intellectual sense. The term closet akb and homophobe....sorry, don't see the connection. Failed attempt at a cheap shot.

Soothsayer ? Not sure I'd go that far. I prefer to stick to calling it intuition. As I said, the evidence proves me and others right doesn't it. When did you twig that he was washed up ? Or maybe you think he needs a little more time ? Shame he ain't gonna get it eh ?

Umm even after being in a pub garden since 1 I can see the link between those 2, if you don't get humour visit my jokes page, saying that don't because I've stopped telling sexist jokes because women just don't get them

With regard to your educated bit I will gladly have a who's got a bigger cock comp with you.

Your referencing me as an akb is quite funny as it seems to be considered at worst a personal insult on this forum and at best a condemnation of an individual's beliefs.

For your information I wanted a change in manager some years back but not from 2008 that's for sure and I would consider anyone that demanded change at this point "entitled twats".

For all his mistakes back then he was up against THE GREATEST MANAGER OF ALL TIME IN ANY LEAGUE, I apologise for the upper case but I want this to sink in as you don't come across as a sponge, more a gloss covered individual and a magnolia gloss at that.

Anyhow I've got a nice bottle of wine to get back to (Yes I'm gay).

Fabulous, an alcohol fuelled rant. I think I'll give your "jokes page" a miss, they can't be as good as your joke posts on here.

I'm still intrigued how you make the term "closet akb" homophobic ?? Does the word "closet" in any context whatsoever, automatically equal homophobia ? How about referring to someone as a closet racist, is that homophobic ? How about saying "I'll just get my overcoat from the closest"....homophobic ? You've drawn a parallel that appears to exist only in your mind mate. Mind you, it doesn't really does it ? Truth is, it was a cheap shot that made no sense. Trying to defend it only makes you look more of a clown.

Now the main point, your sly dig at anyone who believed Wenger was washed up 10 yeras ago, as not proper gooners, or indeed "entitled twats". According to your last post, it was all Fergie's fault for being too good ! Funny how Wenger managed to compete pretty well with him for the first six years and then continued failing after Ferguson retired. I assume that it was around that point that you decided Wenger should go ? That, of course, puts paid to your argument that it was all to do with Ferguson. your point is self defeating.

So, you're criticising people for being too early to reach a decision, that you yourself eventually reached. You can't, of course, say their decision was wrong, because you ended up sharing the opinion, it's just that they worked it out a few years earlier than you. What you should be doing, is praising the intuition and insight that you clearly lacked.

Nothing wrong with being a little slow mate, we'll forgive you for that, but a lot wrong with questioning the loyalty of supporters who saw the evidence a lot sooner than you.

[Retro Gunner]

Fuck off Wenger! You massive cunnt!

I have mixed feelings about this to be honest. Glad the fucker has finally been told to go of course ... but I wanted him hounded out in disgrace.

Justice has not been done here. Giving this treacherous, destructive, self-serving fraud a glorious send off disgusts me.

THIS MAN DESTROYED ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB!

That must not be forgotten! Never!

Where justice has been done is that the man who played a big part in turning our football club into a money obsessed corporation has finally seen that come back to bite him on the arse!

Make no mistake, Wenger has been sacked ... but NOT for football reasons. The moment his mis-mamagement started costing the club their precious profits, he is gone. If it was football reasons or Wenger's decency in recognising it was time for change then he could have just as easily resigned on a dozen or more occasions in the past decade! Everyone here knows what those moments are. Absolutely disgraceful that he survived them all.

Thank God for the relative sanctuary of this forum because some of the nonsense I have seen elsewhere makes me want to vomit.

But now more than ever I hope Atletico batter us in the EL. I want a new beginning next season where I can get behind the team again but I am not backing Wenger or anything to do with him. I hope his reign ends with one final humiliation.

The Emirates for me will be a no-go zone for a good while yet though. It is contaminated by the toxic waste of Wenger and his followers.

I detest the man and will for the rest of my life. He is the man that made me turn against my own team. The man who made me give up my season ticket.

Fuck the memories ... the bad memories far outweigh the good ones anyway and the damage Wenger has done will last forever. Highbury isnt being rebuilt is it ? The fanbase will never be properly united again either!

So FUCK YOU WENGER! You poisonous, hypocritical, narcissistic wanker!

(sorry for the rant but ... )

P.S. Has Martin Keown poured petrol over himself and set himself on fire yet? Go on Martin, you know its the last thing you can do for your Lord and Master.

Well Clash, I think that just about says it all !!

Personally, it's hard to dispute any of that and I've shared the exact same pain.